“Natasha Threatened to Disgrace Akpabio Over Committee Reshuffle” – Senator Nwaebonyi

Peter Nwaebonyi, deputy chief whip of the Senate and lawmaker representing Ebonyi North, has claimed that Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, senator for Kogi Central, threatened to disgrace Senate President Godswill Akpabio before publicly accusing him of sexual harassment.

Speaking on *Sunrise Daily*, a Channels Television programme, on Thursday, Nwaebonyi alleged that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s accusations were linked to her dissatisfaction over a committee reshuffle that affected her position in the Senate.

On February 28, Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Akpabio of making sexual advances toward her in his office and residence in Akwa Ibom. This came after a heated exchange between the two lawmakers on February 20 during a Senate plenary session over seating arrangements. The Kogi senator disrupted proceedings by rejecting her assigned seat and repeatedly raising a point of order, despite being overruled. Following the incident, the Senate referred her to the committee on ethics, privileges, and public petitions for disciplinary review.

Nwaebonyi suggested that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegations stemmed from her removal as chairperson of the Senate Committee on Local Content in a recent reshuffle. He stated that she was displeased after being reassigned to chair the Senate Committee on Diaspora and that she attempted to use the allegations to pressure Akpabio into reinstating her.

“Senator Natasha was comfortable as chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content,” Nwaebonyi said. “But in the Senate, committee leaderships are changed periodically. She was affected, just like others, and moved to the Senate Committee on Diaspora, which didn’t go down well with her.”

According to Nwaebonyi, the Kogi senator placed personal interests above her constituents’ representation, leading to her allegations. He claimed that a day before her public accusations, she called Senator Sani Musa of Niger State, demanding that he relay a message to Akpabio.

“She asked him to tell the Senate President to return her as chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content,” Nwaebonyi alleged. “She threatened that if this was not done, she would disgrace the Senate President. Senator Sani Musa then called Akpabio, who responded, ‘Let her do what she wants to do. I am doing my job as a presiding officer. The reshuffling of committee members is normal.’”

The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions has since dismissed Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment petition against Akpabio, citing procedural issues. The panel ruled that the petition was “dead on arrival” because the senator personally signed it instead of obtaining an endorsement from another individual, rendering it invalid.

In response, Akpoti-Uduaghan submitted a new petition on Thursday, this time signed by her constituents, which was accepted by the Senate. The committee chairman, Neda Imaseun, noted that the issues raised in the petition were already being addressed in court, making them sub judice and beyond the Senate’s jurisdiction.